NCAA Panel Calls For Removal Of Marijuana From Banned Drugs List

AP: NCAA Committee Recommends Dropping Marijuana From Banned Drug List For Athletes 
An NCAA panel is calling for the removal of marijuana from the organization’s list of banned drugs, suggesting that testing should be limited to performance-enhancing substances. The proposal released Friday from the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports would mark a big change for the NCAA, which has been conducting drug tests at championship events since 1986. Committee members recommended halting cannabis tests at such events until a final decision is made, likely this fall. Legislation would still have to be introduced and approved by all three NCAA divisions to take effect. Administrators in Divisions II and III had asked the committee to study the issue. (Marot, 6/16)

The Hill: ‘Magic’ Mushroom Use By Young Adults Has Nearly Doubled In Three Years 
Consumption of “magic” mushrooms and other hallucinogens by young adults nearly doubled over the past three years, a new study has found, illustrating the accelerating pace of America’s “psychedelic revolution” and growing societal acceptance of mind-altering drugs. Researchers found that 6.6 percent of adults from ages 19 to 30 used hallucinogens other than LSD, a category dominated by psilocybin, in 2021, up from 3.4 percent in 2018. LSD use by young adults rose from 3.7 percent to 4.2 percent in the same period, according to an article published this month in the journal Addiction.  (De Vise, 6/19)

In other health and wellness news —

The New York Times: Collective Force Of Head Hits Increases Odds Of CTE, Study Says
A new study published on Tuesday in the scientific journal Nature Communications added a critical wrinkle: A football player’s chances of developing chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or C.T.E., are related to the number of head impacts absorbed, but also to the cumulative impact of all those hits. (Belson and Mueller, 6/20)

CNN: A Daily Aspirin May Lead To Anemia In Older Adults, Study Says
Aspirin is one of the most commonly used medications in the US. Studies show that more than 40% of adults ages 60 or older take an aspirin every day to prevent dangerous blood clots that could lead to a heart attack or stroke. In recent years, experts have backed away from blanket use of aspirin therapy for all older adults, however, after studies showed that it carried an increased risk of major bleeding that most likely outweighed any benefit in preventing first heart attacks or strokes. However, it’s still recommended in some cases for people who have had a heart attack or stroke, to prevent another. (Goodman, 6/19)

NBC News: Disease Screening For Newborns Varies By State, Leading To Delayed Diagnoses
Arthur Hutchinson was a happy, goofy 1-year-old until a few months ago, when he mysteriously stopped crawling and sitting up on his own. Genetic screening revealed that he had Krabbe disease, a rare disorder that can lead to nerve damage. (Bendix, 6/17)

USA Today: Sleep Study: Smoking, Alcohol Behind Why 'Night Owls' May Die Younger
Morning larks tend to live longer than night owls, research has shown. But a new report suggests that may have less to do with sleep and more to do with what happens when you’re awake. Finnish researchers analyzed data from more than 20,000 people who took a survey in 1981 about their sleep habits, according to the study published Thursday in the peer-reviewed journal Chronobiology International. (Rodriguez, 6/19)

KFF Health News: Dementia Can Take A Toll On Financial Health, As Some Families Learn The Hard Way 
Angela Reynolds knew her mother’s memory was slipping, but she didn’t realize how bad things had gotten until she started to untangle her mom’s finances: unpaid bills, unusual cash withdrawals, and the discovery that, oddly, the mortgage on the family home had been refinanced at a higher interest rate. Looking back, Reynolds realizes her mother was in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease: “By the time we caught on, it was too late.” (Boden, 6/20)

KFF Health News: Journalists Cover Air Quality, Tick Risks, And … Brazilian Butt Lifts? 
KFF Health News senior fellow and editor-at-large for public health Céline Gounder discussed health concerns from hazardous air quality on CBS’ “CBS Mornings” on June 8. And on May 29, she dug into the number of tick-borne disease cases on the rise in the U.S. ... KFF Health News Florida correspondent Daniel Chang discussed the draw and dangers of Brazilian butt lifts in Miami on Al Jazeera’s “Fault Lines” on June 7. (6/17)

Also —

AP: Donald Triplett, The 1st Person Diagnosed With Autism, Dies At 89
The Mississippi man known as “Case 1,” the first person to be diagnosed with autism, has died. Donald G. Triplett was the subject of a book titled “In a Different Key,” a PBS documentary film, BBC news magazine installment and countless medical journal articles. ... Triplett’s autism diagnosis arose from a detailed 22-page letter sent to a Johns Hopkins researcher in Baltimore containing telling observations by his parents about his aptitudes and behavior. The letter remains a primary reference document for those who study the disorder. (6/16)

Stat: Why ADHD Is Under-Diagnosed Among Asian Americans 
Behind a veneer of accomplishment, underneath good grades and musical talents, Emily Chen was in disarray. She never knew what she was missing, perpetually cycling through potential mistakes in her mind in a desperate attempt not to slip up. At the age of 23, after navigating school and college in a nearly perpetual state of panic, Chen was diagnosed with ADHD. At the time, she was the only Asian American she knew with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. (Goldhill, 6/19)